Awkward Candidate Interviews: Mitt Romney Likes Music of All Kinds

In old footage from Massachusetts, the then-Senate candidate squared off with an archetypal AV club interviewer

I can't help but find the video above charming. The subjects happen to be Mitt Romney in his Senate candidate days and a young interviewer named Ken Cole, but it may as well be titled Archetypal Politician Interviewed By Archetypal AV Club Geek. That's where I'd file it in an Americana time capsule, so that future generations could see two people dutifully playing the roles assigned to them.

Conor Friedersdorf is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he focuses on politics and national affairs. He lives in Venice, California, and is the founding editor of The Best of Journalism, a newsletter devoted to exceptional nonfiction.